“Troy is an extremely explosive wrestler with great technical grappling, and his record shows that he has very heavy hands,” said Stansell. “We are excited to give him a chance to show what he can do in Bellator’s Lightweight division.”

Gerhart will not enter Bellator’s lightweight tournament, but will be featured in a non-tournament bout in the coming weeks.

Bellator’s first event kicks off April 3 at the Seminole Hard Rock and Casino, featuring the first bracket of featherweight and lightweight tournament match-ups. The 12-week series will air in primetime on Saturdays for ESPN Deportes.